This is Beirut

Syria, France, and US Agree to Relaunch Kurdish Integration Talks in Paris

This is Beirut, 25/07 21:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria, France, and the United States said they agreed Friday to convene "as soon as possible" talks in Paris to integrate the autonomous Kurdish administration into the Syrian state. The Kurds, who control large swathes of northeast Syria, are negotiating with the central government in Damascus on the integration of their civil and military ...

Senior ISIS Leader Killed in US Raid in Syria's Aleppo Province

This is Beirut, 25/07 17:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

United States ISIS Syria

American forces killed an Islamic State group leader in a raid in Syria's Aleppo province on Friday, the US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) said. The raid resulted "in the death of senior ISIS leader, Dhiya Zawba Muslih al-Hardani, and his two adult ISIS-affiliated sons," CENTCOM said in a statement, using an acronym for the jihadist ...

France Lifts Arrest Warrant Against Assad Over Immunity, but Probe Continues After His Fall

This is Beirut, 25/07 17:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Bashar al-Assad Syria France

France's highest court Friday annulled a French arrest warrant against Syria's ex-president Bashar al-Assad – issued before his ouster – over 2013 deadly chemical attacks. The Court of Cassation ruled there were no exceptions to presidential immunity, even for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. But its presiding judge, ...

Syrian, Israeli Ministers to Attend US-Brokered Meeting in Paris

This is Beirut, 24/07 22:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Syria United States

Damascus's top diplomat Asaad al-Shaibani is set to meet an Israeli minister on Thursday in Paris to discuss recent sectarian violence in Syria's south that had drawn in Israel's military, a senior diplomat told AFP. The US-brokered talks would be the first ministerial meeting between the new Syrian authorities and Israel. The two ...

Syria’s Economy Reportedly Rebuilt in Shadows by President’s Brother

This is Beirut, 24/07 16:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Syria Economy Sanctions Reconstruction

A Reuters investigation uncovered a covert campaign to restructure Syria’s shattered economy, led by the new president’s brother, Hazem al-Sharaa, and an Australian of Lebanese descent, Abraham Succarieh, who is under international sanctions for alleged terrorism financing. Operating through an unannounced “shadow committee,” the pair has ...

Sami Abi el-Mona Calls for Urgent Humanitarian Mobilization in Sweida

This is Beirut, 24/07 13:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Sweida Druze Syria Sami Abi al-Mona

Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Sami Abi al-Mona called on Thursday for urgent humanitarian action to support the people of Sweida, who have been deeply affected by recent violent clashes. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Abi al-Mona described a dire situation in the Syrian governorate, pointing to significant civilian casualties and ...

The Middle East: Recalibrations, Fractures and a Coming Storm

Salam El Zaatari, 24/07 10:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

United States Lebanon Syria Hezbollah Israel

By now, we should know that when the Middle East falls silent, it’s rarely a good sign. As if history itself were pausing for breath, the region today is locked in what I call a “violent pause”—not peace, not war, but something infinitely more dangerous: indecision. The past six months have redrawn the map of alliances and threats, but ...

Saudi Announces $5 Billion in Syria Investments

This is Beirut, 23/07 20:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus Syria Saudi Arabia

A Saudi delegation visiting Damascus on Wednesday inked investment and partnership deals valued at $5 billion to help rebuild war-battered Syria, the oil-rich Gulf kingdom announced. Saudi Arabia has been a major backer of the new Syrian government, which seized power after Islamist-led rebels toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December ...

Barrack to This is Beirut: There Is a Sense of Readiness in Lebanon Towards Normalisation with Israel

Tylia El Helou, 23/07 14:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

United States Tom Barrack Syria Hezbollah Israel Lebanon

As Lebanon teeters on the edge of another potential war, with Hezbollah’s arms drawing the country closer to full-scale conflict with Israel, a more existential question arises: Why does the Lebanese state continue to abdicate its constitutional responsibilities? Why is the government still unwilling, decades after the Taif Agreement, to assert ...

Why No States for the Druze or the Kurds?

Hussain Abdul-Hussain, 22/07 15:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Syria Middle East Druze Kurds United States

Self-determination in the Middle East is inconsistent. For Muslim Palestinians, statehood is seen as an unfulfilled destiny. Yet for religious minorities like the Druze or ethnic groups like the Kurds, pursuing sovereignty is branded as betrayal or capitulation to imperialism. There’s no clear logic to why Israel should be divided into two ...

Israel in Sweida: Motives and Ambitions

Philippe Abi Akl, 22/07 08:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Israel Benjamin Netanyahu Syria Sweida Bedouin Ahmad al-Sharaa Druze

As heavy clashes enter their second week in Syria’s southern province of Sweida, pitting Druze factions against tribal groups backed by the Syrian Army and security forces, Israel’s quiet but deliberate involvement is raising alarm. Official claims of protecting Syria’s Druze are met with widespread skepticism. The real story lies in Tel ...

Syria Evacuates Bedouin from Druze-Majority Sweida as Ceasefire Holds

This is Beirut, 21/07 21:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Syria Sweida SOHR Ahmed al-Sharaa

Syrian authorities evacuated Bedouin families from the Druze-majority city of Sweida on Monday, after a ceasefire in the southern province halted a week of sectarian bloodshed that a monitor said killed more than 1,260 people. The violence, which followed massacres of Alawites in March and clashes involving the Druze in April and May, has shaken ...

Syria